Breitling Top-Time ref. 2003 Gold-Capped Released in 1964 as an attempt to break into the youthful professional market, the Breitling Top Time has since become one of the brand’s most iconic models. Linked with the aviation and racing industry like most of the iconic chronographs of the 1960s, the Top Time helped Breitling consolidate their position as a market leader in these markets. Breitling penetrated these incredibly competitive markets by pricing the Top Time as an entry-level chronograph and marketing it as an “instrument panel for the wrist”. This tactic got the watch onto the wrists of people that would later swear by it, and the brand as a whole. The design of the Top Time was equally as youthful as its marketing tactics and price. With Breitling targeting men under the age of 25, they made sure the watch was befitting of an active lifestyle with up-to-date technology and a modern, for the time, aesthetic. This design language was achieved through the Top-Time’s clean sweeping lines, a splash of colour and a thin bezel that emphasised the legible dial. Manufactured until 1978, the Top-Time saw a slew of different variants enter the market over its 14 year production run with a whole host of different dial designs, case shapes and movements being used. Of which, the timepiece we have here is the Breitling Top-Time ref. 2003 powered by the manual Valjoux cal. 7730 movement and measuring 35mm in diameter in keeping with most chronographs of the time. With its gold-plated case, square pushers, and black and white dial, the ref. 2003 was a stylish Top-Time that was as fashionable as it was functional and thus allowed Breitling to capture the essence of what their clientele wanted at the time.
THE DIAL Boasting a black dial with a white chapter ring and subdials, the ref. 2003 is a wonderfully legible watch with contrasting black and white inscriptions, applied indices and a thin bezel that maximizes the size of the Top-Time's dial.
THE CONSTRUCTION Featuring a gold-plated case to keep the cost of the Top-Time down for its collectors, while still delivering a luxurious aesthetic, the ref. 2003 combines Breitling's talents as a tool watchmaker with their eye for design in a conveniently stylish package.
TIMING MACHINE READOUT This reading was taken (crown down) with a ONEOF Accuracy Boutique Edition timing machine at time of cataloging. It is provided as a courtesy only, and shall not be construed as a warranty or guarantee of any kind. Please refer to our terms and conditions of sale for more information.
